Benjamin Franklin 1778

Curator: Standing before us is Jean-Antoine Houdon's marble bust of Benjamin Franklin, completed in 1778. It’s now held here at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It’s strikingly lifelike. The eyes seem to hold so much wisdom, and the slight smile… almost mischievous? There’s a sense of shrewd observation about him. Curator: Houdon was commissioned to create this portrait during Franklin’s time in France, advocating for American independence. What you’re picking up on, the 'realness,' was revolutionary. Earlier depictions of prominent men would aim at idealization, showing power. Houdon shows humanity. Editor: The tousled hair, for example. That feels very intentional. A symbol of the "everyman"? The wrinkles around his eyes. All suggest a life fully lived and pondered. What did the iconography of Franklin mean to the French public? Curator: Exactly. This wasn’t just about capturing a likeness. It was about creating an image for a specific political purpose. France saw in Franklin a symbol of Enlightenment values, of reason and self-determination challenging the old order of monarchy. Editor: And that translates beautifully through these careful artistic choices. Marble, traditionally used for gods and emperors, is here to celebrate intellect, almost as a secular deity. What strikes me most is that despite being rooted in neoclassicism, the realism allows his humanity to shine through the ideal. Curator: It really is a fascinating dialogue between those two approaches, isn’t it? The formal polish elevates him, but that very human face invites intimacy. Editor: It humanizes revolution. And as an artifact, this sculpture helps keep that human side present in the collective memory. You know it gives a palpable sense of an era. Curator: It also embodies how individuals shape not just their own destinies, but the destiny of nations and ideas too. Editor: Absolutely. A marble testament to the power of ideas, carved with extraordinary subtlety and precision, echoing into our present.